james h



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1..

J. H. UHLE.

GATE.

No. 863,099 Patented May 17, 1887.

2 Sheets-Sheet (No Model.)

J. H. UHLE! GATE.

Patented May 17, 1887..

N PETERS Phnlohlhngruphur, Waihinglon, D. C,

JAMES H. UHLE, OF LITTLE FALLS, NENV YORK.

GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 363,099, dated May 17, 1887.

Application filed February 23, 1887. Serial No. 228,578. No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES H. UHLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Little Falls, in the county of Herkimer and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Gates, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in gates, and especially to the class that may beopened and closed from a distance on either side, the object being so to construct the mechanism for actuating the gate that a person approaching from either side, whether on foot, on horseback, or in a vehicle, can easily open and close it.

A further object of the invention is to balance the gate and provide means whereby it may be raised above the snow and ice in winter and any accumulation of weeds, leaves, branches, or other refuse in summer.

These objects are accomplished by the construction and novel arrangement of parts, hereinafter described,pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whieh- Figure 1 represents a perspective View of the gate and actuating mechanism. Fig. 2 represents detail views, showing how the front and rear ends of the longitudinal wires of the gate are secured in place. Fig. 3 represents a detail view of the vertically-adj ustable lower journal or stop of the oscillatory post of the gate, with the said post vertically sectioned above. Fig. 4 represents a detail view of the arm by means of which the cords turn the oscillatory post. Fig. 5 represents aperspeetive View of the adjustable sleeve that carries the latch-keeper and the projection to prevent the gate from being raised. Fig. 6 represents a side view of the gate with the front rail and the ballast-holder at the rear end in section, to show how the longitudinal gate-wires are secured thereto. Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of the gate as opened.

Referring to the accompanying drawings by letter, A designates the gate balanced upon the hollow vertical shaft to, which forms part of the gate. In the lower end of the shaft is made a bearing, by means of the transverse partition to, a short distance above said end, for the cylindrical stop B, which enters a recess, b, in a base-block, and is rendered vertically adjustable in said recess by the set screw 1), which passes into the said recess through a suitable threaded opening on the side thereof and impinges upon the stop B, so as to hold the same in its adjusted position.

The upper, lower, and vertical front rails of the gate are preferably of wood, and the longitudinal wires 0, which stand between the upper and lower rails, have their front ends secured to the front rail by making cavities c in the inner edge of the same, twisting or knotting the outer ends of the wire, inserting the same in the cavities, and filling the latter with solder flush with theedge of the rail.

The wires pass through the shaft (0, and their rear ends pass through openings in the sides of a large vertical tube, 0, which serves to hold ballast to balance the part of the gate in front of the shaft to. \Vithin the said ballastprovided with nuts 0, by means of which they are tightened from their front ends, the cavi ties 0 being hollowed out laterally from their edges, so as to hold the solder firmly in place. The vertical and inclined rails of the gate are of wood, each made of two strips and placed on each side of the wires, then secured, by bolts or otherwise, together.

D is a part of the fence in rear of the gate, and d is the upper horizontal rail thereof, having at its end a ring, (1, which serves as the upper bearing for the shaft a, upon which the gate is balanced.

E is the latch, pivoted upon an upright rising from the proper rail of the gate, and with its ends passing through the slot 0' in the front rail.

F is the fence-postto which thelatch-keeper is attached. The said latch-keeper consists of a plate, f, having the central notch, f, with the upper parts of its edges inclined ,outward. The ends of the latch-keeper are inclined outward and downward to form the edges f upon which the point of the latch rides when the gate is closing. The keeper is secured edge up to a projection standing inward or toward the gate from a sleeve, G, rendered adjustable on the post F by means hereinafter described.

g is a projection standing from said sleeve holder the ends of the wires are threaded and ICO The sleeve G is provided with a longitudi-- nal slot, 9, by means of which and the setscrews gf, which pass through said slot and engage in threaded recesses in the post F, the said sleeve is rendered vertically adjustable upon the post.

, H H are posts erected on each side of the gate and equally distant therefrom. Each post has upon it an adjustable sleeve, 71, provided i h a longitudinal slot, h, by means of which and the set-screws h the sleeve is rendered vertically adjustable on the post.

1 5 a latch-keeper secured in proper position to the sleeve h and provided with the downwardly-inclined edge i and notch i, in which the latch E engages when the gate is opened to the corresponding side.

J J are posts erected on each side of the gate a suitable distance outward from the posts H H, and equally distant, preferably, from the gate. The said posts have each secured to their upper ends a horizontal bar, j, that extends some distance over the road and has journaled in proper bearings made at its outer end the vertically-standing pulley j, over ich the actuating cord, hereinafter described, passes.

K is an arm standing rearward from the top of the shaft a, immediately above a slot, k, through the shaft above its upper bearing, and 1c is a sleeve that fits and rotates easily on sald arm. The sleeve has at its outer end a bracket, in which is pivoted a pulley, for the actuating-cord to run over.

L is a frame composed of the parallel horizontal bars Z Z and the central vertical socket, Z, uniting said bars, and Z Z are vertical rollers or pulleys journaled between the ends of the bars on each side. The socket Z fits upon a vertical rod which stands from the top of the shaft a,'and is surrounded by a coiled spring, m, the upper end of which is secured to the socket Z and the lower end to the top of the shaft a. The frame L is arranged to stand at right angles to the gate, and when moved out of that position will be returned to it by the spring m.

N is the actuating-cord, having its outer end secured to the latch near its point, whence it turns up and passes over a pulley, a, pivoted in bearings made or secured upon the upper front end of the gate. It then runs under a second pulley, a, turning in bearings secured to the upper rail of the gate near its rear end. Then it passes through the slot 70 in the shaft (1 and around the pulley 7c of the sleeve k. In rear of said pulley the cord is bifurcated or divided into two branches, as most clearly shown in Fig.7, each branch running in an opposite direction to the corresponding post, J, and over the pulley j of the arm 1ts depending end being provided with a suitable 7o hand-hold, as shown. course act in opposite directions.

The two branches of The several parts are so arranged that the arms j, the rear end of the arm K, and the frame L are all in the same horizontal plane. When the gate is opened, the frame Wlll swing around therewith, always standlng at right angles thereto. This action will cause one of the rollers Z of said frame to engage the cord N, and thereby hold the same away from the top of the gate, so that it cannot become entangled upon either the gate or fenclng,

The hand-holds have sufficient weight to kee the cords tolerably taut.

Upon reference to Fig. 7 it will be seen that when the gate is opened the frame L will hold the cord N out of a straight line, so that when it is actuated to close the gate it will pull laterally thereon. By this arrangement the force necessary to close the gate is diminished, and the closing of the sameis assured. The frame L further aids in closing the gate, for the reason that when the cord N is drawn onto close the gate it will exert a slight pressure on the frame L, which will be sufficient to give it asllght turn, and this motion will be commun cated to the gate by means of the coiled spring m. Should atall load of hay or other materal strike the frame L, the spring m will allow the frame to yield, so as to allow the load to pass.

As the gate is perfectly balanced by putting ballast in the holder at its rear end, and as the rails and wires are continuous through the shaft a, the gate cannot sag, nor can it be lifted to disengage the latch from the keeper, because of the projections on the gateZand on the keeper-sleeve, as described.

Having described my invention, I claim 1. The combination of the gate, the vertical hollow ballast-holder secured to the rear end of the gate, the rotary shaft having the longitudinal rails and wires passing through it, having its upper end journaled in a bearing on the fencing, and with equal porti0ns,by weight, of the gate on each side of it, the cylindrical stop or bearing piece entering the recess or chamber formed by a transverse partition at the lower end of the shaft, the block having a vertical recess to receive the lower end of the step, and the set-screw passing through a threaded opening in the side of the blockand impinging upon the stop, substantially as specified.

2. The combination, with the gate constructed substantially as described, the latch pivoted to the gate, and the plate-like projections standing outward from the gate below the latch-keeper, of the post adjacent to the front end of the gate when closed, the latchkeeper sleeve rendered adjustable on said post by the longitudinal slots and the setscrews, the latch-keeper having the central notch in its upper edge and the outwardly and downwardly inclined edges adjacent to its ends, and the plate-like projection secured to the lower part of said sleeve, which projection rests upon that of the gate and prevents the latter from being raised to disengage the latch from the keeper, substantially as specified.

3. The combination, with the balanced gate, the vertical rotary shaft forming part thereof, the arm standing-backward from the top of said shaft, the sleeve on said arm, having a pulley at its outer end, the frame L, provided with pulleys or rollers at its ends and turning on a rod rising from the top of the shaft, and the coiled spring connecting said frame and the top of the shaft, of the posts J, having pulleys at the ends of their arms j, and the aetuating-cord, with one end secured to the latch, thence running up and upon guidepulleys on the top of the gate, then through the slot in the upper part of the shaft, separating into two branches at a suitable distanceinward from the pulley on the sleeve, and then passing around said pulley, each branch taking an opposite course to and over the pulley of the post J on the corresponding side of the gate, and having a hand-hold of suitable weight 011 its depending end, substantially as specified.

4. The combination of the latch pivoted to the gate, the post adjoining the front end of the, gate, the latch-keeper sleeve adjustable on said post, and the latch-keeper provided with the central notch on its upper edge and the beveled edges on each side thereof, with the balanced gate, the vertical rotary shaft, the arm thereon, the sleeve on said arm provided at its end with a pulley, the frame L, having the rollers or pulleys P, the spring m, the actuating-cord N, and the posts J, having pulleys at the ends of their arms j, all constructed and arranged substantially as and for the purpose specified.

5. The combination of the latch pivoted to the gate, the posts H, equally distant on each side thereof, the sleeves h, rendered adjustable on said posts by their longitudinal slots h and set-screws h passing therethrongh, and the latch-keepers I, secured to the sleeves h, with the balanced gate, and mechanism, substantially as described, to open and close the same from points at suitable distances on each side thereof, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES H. UHLE.

Witnesses:

J. W. BAKER, E. J. DIEFENDORF, 

